Iran warns of hacks and global internet cuts if US strikes resume

An Iranian official warned on Monday that global internet, power plants, and US computer systems could be at risk if the US resumes attacks on Iran. This comes amid ongoing negotiations and threats of further strikes. According to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps spokesman, Hossein Mohebbi, hundreds of thousands of miles of energy transmission lines, hundreds of power plants, and US computer systems would be vulnerable if Iran faced another threat.

Several US states have recently reported hacks on their water systems, likely originating from Iran, highlighting the country's growing role in cybercrime. Since the US and Israeli strikes against Iran began in late February, state-sponsored and independent cyber attacks have targeted various US services and businesses. In March, the Iran-linked group Handala followed through on a threat by hacking the personal email and cloud services of FBI director Kash Patel.

Subsequently, the Critical Infrastructure Security and Resilience Agency issued a warning about an anticipated rise in cyber attacks against digital systems, advising owners, operators, and integrators to disconnect programmable logic controllers (PLCs) and internet-exposed operational technology assets to minimize disruption, configuration changes, and physical damage.

Even before the current conflict, experts have noted Iran's increasing use of cybercrime as a potent weapon, with the FBI's cyber operations division chief, Brett Leatherman, suggesting that Iran and its proxies have heightened their efforts, possibly leading to a catastrophic cyber attack against the US in the near future.